Waste management is an important part of our operation. As a business we actively work to reduce our waste and increase the amount we recycle. 

To gain a deeper understanding of what actually happens to rubbish after we put it in the bin, a group of Vacherin employees journeyed to one of London’s largest mixed recycling facilities (also known as a MRF). The team at Bywaters talked to us about how they collect and process waste from across the city. We saw first hand the scale of waste coming in and out of the facility and awed at the process of sorting. The equipment cleverly separates cardboard from smaller paper with one machine, a magnet picks out aluminium cans on another, and lasers segregate valuable plastic types (yes, lasers!).

There were many questions from the group about what is and is not recyclable. We learned that plant based plastic and Tetra Pak are very tricky to process. Likewise cling film and used blue roll are destined for incineration and so are best avoided. 

Ultimately we would like to see more of a reuse culture across all sites, shifting customer patterns to refillable solutions rather than disposables. Until we reach that point, we can make a more conscious decision with our purchasing and disposing to bin it right.

- Yeshna Mistry, CSR